Death of Pierre Habib, X45, one of the founders of LMS
It is with deep sadness that we have just heard of the death of Pierre Habib, X45, which occurred on June 7th in Paris at the age of 94 years.
Pierre Habib began his career in 1948 at the Research Directorate General for Construction and Public Works. With Jean Mandel and Dragos Radenkovic, he founded the Laboratory of Solid Mechanics (LMS) with the double requirement of scientific rigor and applications for national industrial policy: large civil engineering works, dams, nuclear energy, exploration offshore oil, gas industry, rail transport, automobile, Defense.
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Pierre Habib in the foreground on the right in discussion with Bernard Halphen (director of LMS from 2000 to 2010)
Director of LMS from 1961 to 1990, his affability and authority, indisputable and discreet, were able to hold together a constellation of future members of the Academy, CNRS medals and researchers who have spread throughout the French mechanical community. Pierre Habib is the author of three books and more than two hundred and fifty articles. The vice-presidencies of the French Group of Soil Mechanics, the French Group of Earthquake Engineering, the honorary presidency of the French Group of Rheology, the presidency of the French Committee of Mechanics of the Rocks, its participation in the Committees of the Large Dams,the Société Hydrotechnique de France, of the American Society of Civil Engineers, testify to the recognition of its peers and the span of its scientific and technical culture. Chief Editor of the French Journal of Geotechnics,President of the International Society of Mechanics of Rocks, he defended with energy the use of French and the place of France in the world scientific community. Pierre Habib was Knight of the Legion of Honor.
We join the pain of his loved ones and we pay a huge tribute to a passionate scientist.